Beware of Winning the Lottery

Rich people are different! They are not the same simply because they have more money, but because they are more likely to lie, cheat and steal! Researchers conducted experiments of 1,000 people whose average incomes ranged from $16,000 to $150,000 and found those with the most money were also most likely to behave unethically. For example, the rich would cheat to win a $50 prize and would pocket extra change given to them by mistake. A similar difference was found between drivers from wealthy suburbs who drove expensive cars and drivers of cheaper cars. Studies showed rich drivers were four times more likely to cut off other drivers in traffic and to refuse to wait for pedestrians. Clerks who rotate duty in chain stores report customers in their stores in the wealthy suburbs were ruder and more impatient than customers in the stores in the lower income areas of a city. Researches credited this different behavior of the rich to their attitudes of entitlement and lack of needing to be socially acceptable. Now, maybe you’re not wealthy—but you may desire to be rich. You may daydream about winning the lottery and how you would spend your new millions. Don’t! Daydreams of being a millionaire are toxic! Research has shown by simply imagining you are rich makes you unethical and selfish! When low-income volunteers were asked to pretend to be wealthy they behaved just as unethically as the wealthy, eating the candy that researchers had given to them for their children. “Blessed, more polite, more honest, more truthful and ethical are the poor!”

Edward Hays

Haysian haphazard thoughts on theinvisible and visible mysteries of life.